MTLNOVEL Chapter 127: Treasure Hunting!_1
"Dean, are we going to have an adventure just like in 'Treasure Island' today?"
On the way to the Hagar Mountains, his younger brother, Thompson, was visibly exhilarated.
An unknown journey and treasure! This is going to be something I can talk about for years!
Dean had one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a cigarette. He leaned against the car window, buffeted by the cold wind, exhaled a puff of smoke, and chuckled, "I don't know, but the unknown always fills one with anticipation."
Just after nine in the evening, the two brothers arrived on time at the outskirts of the Hagar Mountains.
The moon cast a cold, eerie light that night, draping the rolling mountains in a faint silver veil. A mournful mountain breeze swept through, inspiring a mix of awe and fear at the sight of the colossal shapes sprawled across the land like sleeping behemoths. Gazing into the mountains felt like preparing to step into a perilous, unknown land. While intimidating, it also stirred a sense of excitement and anticipation rarely found in ordinary life.
At least, that was how Thompson felt.
His somewhat lanky frame held an M4 rifle provided by Dean. He checked it proficiently, his feet jiggling nervously, causing the repeating crossbow at his waist to bounce along.
This guy really has a talent for shooting. Dean thought.
"Wow, Dean, are you really letting me use this gun?" Thompson very professionally shouldered the rifle and took a few practice aims, his voice filled with excitement. He'd only ever used it for target practice, never in actual combat.
After all, he was only fifteen this year.
"Your skill gives me confidence in you. Where did you learn to shoot?"
Thompson put the gun away and chuckled. "My uncle taught me while you were away at college. He said a real man must learn how to effectively use a weapon to protect his family. He even took me gray wolf hunting."
When I was in college, Thompson would have only been twelve... Typical cowboy. Their educational methods are certainly hardcore. Dean mused.
He nodded in agreement. "Your uncle is right."
In this country, you might choose not to be the first to open fire, but if someone threatens the safety of you and your family, you'd better have the ability to kill them.
Just then, AWOOO~
A mournful wolf howl echoed through the mountains. It was a pack of wolves, out hunting in the night and calling to their companions.
However, the Hagar Mountains were merely one of the outer ranges of the Rocky Mountains. There weren't many carnivorous predators here, so they didn't need to be overly concerned.
The two of them gathered their weapons, ammunition, tools, and powerful searchlights, then headed deeper into the mountains. Dean had been here before, so he knew his way around.
After about an hour or so, a small lake shimmering with a silvery glow appeared before them.
Panting, Thompson stood on the hillside, gazing at the U-shaped valley below. He couldn't help but gape. "It's so beautiful! I feel like I'm looking at a scene from a storybook, where a knight secretly meets a princess."
"And then they go down for a bath together?"
"Dean, you're so crude!"
Thompson shot Dean a disdainful look, eager to head down, but Dean grabbed him by the scruff and set him down firmly behind him.
"Remember, when you're out in the wilderness, you must learn to observe your surroundings."
"My surroundings?"
Astonished by Dean's immense strength, Thompson scanned his surroundings as he'd been taught, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. In the distance, small, fluorescent green dots flickered.
Those weren't laser pointers; they were the reflections from wild animals' eyes in the darkness. This glow helped them gather sufficient information.
"Five wolf cubs," Dean said, dropping his backpack and cracking his knuckles. "Looks like we can get a little warm-up before the treasure hunt."
When he'd come a few days ago, there hadn't been any sign of gray wolves here.
It was likely that when Massa cleaned up those bodies, he'd left behind too strong a scent. The swirling mountain winds must have spread it, eventually attracting this pack of North American gray wolves.
North American gray wolves are mostly active in the northern part of North America, near Canada, but a small portion had migrated, scattering into various mountain ranges across North America due to hunting in recent years. A few had even been secretly relocated by some animal protection advocates. Those advocates got their satisfaction, but the surrounding ecosystems suffered considerably as a result.
These creatures, as adults, can reach 1.8 to 2 meters in length, typically weighing between 50 to 80 kilograms. The largest North American gray wolves can even reach 90 kilograms, making them arguably the largest canids in this parallel world.
Watching Dean, who in an instant had stripped off his pants and shoes to reveal a perfectly sculpted physique, Thompson licked his lips, a mix of envy and apprehension in his eyes. "Dean, don't tell me you're planning to fight those things hand-to-hand?"
"Why not?"
Dean grinned. As his younger brother stared at him as if he were insane, Dean took out a sharp dagger and made a small cut on his arm. The fresh scent of blood wafted on the mountain wind towards the downwind slope where the wolves were hidden, immediately agitating them.
"Protect yourself!"
Dean patted his younger brother's shoulder. Before Thompson could stop him, Dean shot off like a human-shaped cheetah, his strides exaggeratedly long as he charged towards the wolf pack.
Such a blatant provocation infuriated the wolf pack, rulers of these unfamiliar mountains!
AWOOO~
With a commanding howl from the pack leader, three enormous figures, bathed in moonlight, converged on Dean from three directions, their speed perfectly matching his.
The next instant, Dean leaped high, silhouetted against the bright moon. He brought his knee down in a powerful smash, right onto the head of a wolf that lunged at him, its jaws wide and filled with savage fangs.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze, crystallizing into a frame of violent, breathtaking beauty—a close-up shot.
THUD!
Two blood-stained fangs flew out.
The massive wolf's skull, seemingly as hard as concrete, caved in. It slammed heavily onto the ground, whimpering as it tried to lift its head, but a torrent of hot blood gushed uncontrollably from its eyes, nose, and ears...